Friskiness on the Beach
by Morbid Desires
Summary: Elena and Alejandro share a tender, child like moment while on the beach.


**Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the characters or ideas/references that may lead to whomever owns Zorro. The plot and anything else unrecognizable is mine.**

**A/N: This may or may not be mentioned, I figured it's better to be safe than sorry though: Elena and Alejandro are taking Joaquin to Spain for the first time. Felipe is travelling with them because he has a meeting he must attend there and so him and Joaquin are sharing a room which leave Elena and Alejandro their own room and twelve hours to themselves.**

She had only seen the ocean once before, when she traveled from Spain to America. She had walked the beaches the day before they left with her stepfather. It had been lovely, but not as lovely as this walk now. She loved her home, her hacienda and the town but she dreamed of the rolling waves. And now she walked the sandy beaches again, only this time she walked them alone. She had left her shoes back on the shore some time past and her toes were free to feel the soft sand and the incoming waves would wash over them. At first she had tried to keep her skirts clean and out of the water but then she let them fall, it was too much to be bothered with at a time like this. Besides, the front ends of her skirts were above her ankle and the back was the only part that trailed in the sand. A salty breeze blew on her face, sweeping her hair back and bringing back memories with her stepfather.

As she was walking and reminiscing she became aware of a presence behind her but before she could confront her stalker she felt strong arms holding her own down. She was about to cry out and fight beck when familiar lips caressed the skin where her neck and shoulder joined.

"Alejandro, you startled me!" she exclaimed, but, despite her racing heart, a smile made its way onto her lips.

"I apologize, I did not mean to frighten you so," he replied, and she could hear the grin in his own deep, comforting voice. Coming around beside her, he laced his fingers through hers and they began walking together. She notice he was not wearing his boots, and their feet left shallow footprints behind that were washed away as the tide rose and fell.

"Well, in that case, I forgive you," she told him and then she thought she was content to simply be, but, soon enough, thoughts began to creep back into her conscious.

"What is on your mind, Princess… that you did not hear me coming?" Alejandro's voice brought her train of thought to a crashing halt. It was true, normally she would have noticed that she was being followed and he never would have gotten so close so as to scare her as he did.

"Oh, nothing much…. The waves are very soothing, no?" she tried to change the subject… not her best attempt either. But, though Alejandro was not fooled, he sensed his wife's reluctance to speak her mind and so let the subject drop for the time being and take the bait.

"Yes… yes it is…" he let the sentence trail off, not really paying attention to what he said. Alejandro glanced fleetingly at the horizon, the sun had not yet started to sink below the waves but it was getting closer.

"What about you? You almost sound like you're thinking… and that is never a good sign," Elena told her husband teasingly.

"You know, I think I'm about through with your jokes about the size of my brain!" Alejandro retorted playfully, for he knew it was all in good fun. Sensing what was to come Elena took off, leaving Alejandro to be sprayed by the water and sand she kicked up into his face during the process. He shielded his face and then looked after her, the most beautiful image he had ever seen. Her hair and skirts were flowing behind her and the golden sun lit up her face. For a moment he was dazed, until she turned and laughed at him,

"Not up for the challenge of catching your wife, Alejandro? Too lazy?" she joked. His feet were moving even before he told them to and she turned again but not fast enough. She let out a little squeal as he tackled her and they both fell giggling and laughing into the sun tainted water.

Grinning, she splashed him and as he was wiping his face she made it to her feet; she was about to throw more water into his face when he caught her wrist, causing her to fall back into the ocean. Their eyes met for a moment and she saw the child that had been playing with her replaced by the man she had married. A caddish grin eased its way across his perfect lips… oh, those lips… and then, suddenly, those very lips were pressed against hers. She smiled into the kiss as he moved his hands from her small wrists to her face. By the end of the kiss she found her own fingers barely brushing the hair that had a habit of escaping the top part of his shirt. Then Alejandro got up out of the water and offered his hand to her, which she gratefully accepted, and they walked together back to shore. Elena sat down then and Alejandro lowered himself down next to her. His hair was wet which made it curly and she found herself reaching up to play with it, a smile gracing her features. Her husband shook his head and sprayed her like a dog, which only made her shriek like a little girl and give a giggle. Alejandro chuckled at her reaction as his gaze drifted off toward the west to the setting sun and Elena followed his sight to reveal a scarlet sunset with only the bright orange ball for a change in color. The sun and sky reflected off the ocean in a broken pattern and Elena found her breath was caught in her lungs. Carefully she stretched her legs out before her and leaned back onto her hands. Alejandro copied her movements but he was certain to make sure his fingers would brush Elena's hand.

Softly, so as not to jeopardize the perfection of this moment, the woman leaned her head against her husband's muscular shoulder, and she felt the small weight of his crown as he leaned into her touch and rested his head upon her own. And then they simply sat and watched in companionable silence as the ball of flame finally dropped below the ocean.

"I suppose we should start heading back to the hotel, we don't want to miss the boat tomorrow morning." Elena, always the more practical of the two, finally said what was on both of their minds.

"Or we could stay out here and catch the late morning boat…" Alejandro suggested with a devilish grin. Slowly he rolled so that he was on top of her and he kissed her, sweetly this time. She smiled at his lack of responsibility and as much as she would enjoy spending the night on the beach, her adult self would not let her. Hooking one of her legs around his waist she flipped him so she was sitting on his chest.

"Tempting," she said with a teasing grin, "But no." After placing a quick peck on his cheek she got up and offered her hand to him, which he took and used to pull her back down. Their lips met in a kiss that left Elena's head spinning. But once her world stopped riding a merry-go-round and the fog that plagued her brain cleared she got up again, and, dusting of as best she could, gave him a pointed glare. Chuckling and shaking his head he got to his feet and offered his arm to her, which she took with a haughty nod, knowing she had just won that argument. They slowly made their way back to their shoes and, eventually, the hotel. And once inside the hotel room they got lost in the game they had started on the beach. Both of them completely forgot about the reservations they had for dinner and for a few short hours they were the only two people on the planet.

As she watched her husband sleeping, Elena's thoughts traveled back to where they were before Alejandro found her on the beach. She wondered what her life would have been like if she had never returned from Spain nor met Alejandro. She pondered how different her existence might have been if she was married when she had returned to California.

Alejandro cried out in his sleep from some nightmare and Elena rolled to hold him like a child. She ran her fingers through his now dry hair and rubbed the goose bumps from his arms. He quieted and she laid his head upon her chest, for that always seemed the best way to cure his nightmares and she was rewarded with a small smile that happened upon his features as he wrapped his arms around her waist and readjusted his handsome figure. Observing her husband in his sleep and drifting off into a fitful sleep of her own, Elena decided she would not have wanted her life to play out any other way.

**A/N: I really hope you liked it and if you can find it in your time and heart to review I would be extremely happy. Thank you for reading and have a good day/night!**


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